“Umm ...”
“Tell me exactly what they looked like.”
“They were ... about a third of the size or less than the dragon with the dragonrider who captured us. Oh, and I did notice a few things about the one that landed in front of me.”
“One landed in front of you?” Tynaer asked.
“I guess I forgot to mention that part.”
“Yes ... you did.”
“It was large ... much larger than me, but it was more like the size of a large horse, a little larger actually, rather than the size of a barn like the dragons in the empire. Also ...” Devarius’s brow furrowed. “It only had two legs. The dragonrider’s dragon had four legs.”
“Two legs and wings?”
“Yes,” Devarius replied.
“Interesting.”
“Oh ... and one more thing. I saw it fly backward ... like a hummingbird. I’ve never seen any other creature do that.”
“I don’t believe you saw a dragon,” Tynaer whispered.
Devarius raised an eyebrow. “It looked just like a dragon. If it wasn’t a dragon ... what was it?”
“I’ll have to look at the books in the library, but I believe what you described is a wyvern.”
“A wyvern?” Devarius asked.
Tynaer stood. “Yes. We need to speak to Ellisar soon. He needs to know about this.”
Devarius slid off the bed and sat in his desk chair. “Know about what?”
“This land of wyverns.” Tynaer grinned.
It was the first time Devarius had seen the captain grin. He was disturbed by the sight.
“Wh—”
“Don’t you see?” Tynaer said. “We’ve been searching for years to find a way to defeat the Dragonia Empire. There is just no way we can defeat an army of dragonriders. We’ve made weapons, sure: catapults, ballistae, arrows, but what can they truly do to a dragon? Our best chance has always been to aim for the rider, and hope the dragon won’t know what to do without its companion. But now—”
“Wait,” Devarius interrupted. “If dragons and wyverns are different ... am I clear that their difference is their size and amount of legs?”
“Yes,” Tynaer said.
“If the creatures I saw were full grown ... which I don’t know if they were. But if they were ... they’re a lot smaller than dragons. There’s no way they can battle against dragons. That’s like asking a horse to take on an elephant.”
Tynaer’s lips pressed together tightly. “It’s not a perfect plan, but we need to research this.” Tynaer sighed. “You’re right, a horse against an elephant is no match. But ...” He shook a finger in the air. “What if it were three horse riders against one elephant rider? Just how many wyverns are there? And can we train them? Like your comparison of horses versus elephants ... yes, elephants are stronger, but horses are faster, and can maneuver much easier than an elephant. Is this true with wyverns and dragons as well?”
“I don’t know,” Devarius admitted.
Devarius grabbed the blue stone from his desk. It was as large as his hand. He rubbed the top of it.
“You told me you saw one of the creatures fly backward.”
“Yes,” Devarius admitted.
“Can a dragon fly backward?”
Devarius tilted his head. “I don’t know.”
Tynaer scratched his chin. “If they can’t, we’d have a large advantage.”
“We don’t have any advantage right now. We don’t even have a wyvern,” Devarius said.
“You’re right. We need to speak to Ellisar.”
Devarius nodded. “All right. When?”
“First thing in the morning.”
Devarius ceased petting the stone and reached to set it back on the desk. It vibrated in his hand. He froze. The stone began to glow a dark blue.
“Wha—” Tynaer started.
Devarius tried to drop the stone, but it refused to leave his hand. His eyes were transfixed on the blue glow as it filled the room. Tynaer backed away until he leaned against the door. Devarius’s eyes widened as far as they could as he watched the stone. The light faded. Chills ran down Devarius’s spine as he released the breath he’d been holding. Before he could set the stone down, it began to vibrate again. A low cracking echoed through the small room. Lines appeared all the way around the stone.
Devarius opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but he choked on his words when a piece of the stone broke off the top and fell to the floor, and a small reptilian head popped out. It was covered in slime, but it was clearly blue to match the stone ... or rather, the shell. At first Devarius thought it was a lizard, but as its claws joined its head on the outside of the shell and broke through the top, Devarius noticed small, slimy wings.
“A dragon ...” Devarius gasped.
“No,” Tynaer whispered. “A wyvern.”
The small creature tilted its head as it studied Devarius. It sat in his cupped hands, its shell scattered on the ground below it. Devarius shivered as he watched the creature. It crawled up his arm to perch atop his shoulder. Devarius froze, doing his best to not move, but he could feel his entire body trembling. The wyvern tilted its head from side to side, then it nuzzled against Devarius’s neck. Its scales were coarse against Devarius’s skin, but it didn’t hurt, it tickled. The wyvern paused. Devarius gaped at the small reptile.
The wyvern grumbled, a noise that sounded like a mix between a growl and a purr. Devarius bit his lip, too scared to move. The wyvern stretched it neck toward Devarius’s face, then licked him on the nose.
Devarius’s jaw dropped.
“Yes ... I believe first thing in the morning is a good time to talk to Ellisar.”
“Wh-what should I do until then?”
Tynaer shrugged, raising his eyebrows. “Bond.”
Tynaer opened the door and backed out, all the while staring at Devarius and the baby wyvern.
“Hello,” Devarius squeaked as he looked at the small creature.
The wyvern tilted its head, then licked Devarius’s face again.
Chapter 28
Devarius sat at a round table between Ellisar and Tynaer. Everyone stared at him, or rather, at the small wyvern perched on his shoulder. Most of the people at the table Devarius didn’t recognize, but he did notice Paedyn and Aquila had been invited. Devarius assumed the others were important leaders in the Resistance.
“Thank you all for coming. As you may notice, we have very important things to discuss,” Ellisar said.
“Is that a dragon?” a young man across the table asked.
“No, actually. But it is one of the reasons we have gathered this afternoon.” Ellisar looked to each person in turn. “All of you have joined the Resistance for a reason. Many of you have lost loved ones: friends or family. We all know the empire rules by force, by tyranny. This is what we want to stop. We want peace in Kaeldroga, not fear.”
Murmurs of agreement echoed through the small room.
“For generations, we have searched for a way to combat the empire ... but it has not been easy. How do we defeat an army of dragonriders? We have hidden and remained silent for so long because we’ve had no clear answer to that question. Instead, we’ve been building our numbers, training, and using every great mind to find ways to defeat the Dragonia Empire.” Ellisar gestured to Devarius with his hand. “Imagine my surprise this morning when Captain Tynaer and Devarius demanded a meeting, with a promise they had an idea that could turn the tide. When Devarius first entered my chambers with that miniature dragon perched atop his shoulder ... I was left speechless.”
More murmurs filled the room.
“It is not a dragon, but ...” Ellisar trailed off, glancing from one person to the next at the table. “It is a wyvern. Some of you know your history, or rather fables of the past about dragons and wyverns. None were really believed ... until dragons appeared around a hundred years ago. The word wyvern seemed to have been lost when that happened; however, I did find a few books with references to them.
I can only imagine a long time ago, long before the Dragonia Empire, someone else had seen both dragons and wyverns, but they were wild beasts at the time ... no human dared try to tame them. Well, the Dragonia Empire has tamed dragons. We do not have access to the massive creatures. However ...” He looked at Devarius. “Devarius has found an island full of wyverns. While wyverns are not as large as dragons, they are in the same family. They may be our key to defeating the Dragonia Empire.”
“How much smaller are they?” an old man with a thick white beard asked.
“Perhaps a third of the size ... perhaps a little less,” Ellisar said.
“How many are there?” the same man asked.
“We don’t know. Devarius was the one who chanced by them, but he didn’t stay on the island long enough to count their numbers. I plan to start an expedition to see how many there are, and if they can be trained. This is a dangerous mission. We do not know if these wild creatures are hostile or not. However”—he pointed to Devarius—“they seem friendly, or at least, indifferent. Devarius also confirmed a large one landed on the ground near him, sniffed him, and took off back into the sky. It did not harm him, which is promising.”
Chatter filled the room as several men tried to ask various questions.
Ellisar held his hand high. “Silence.”
Everyone closed their mouths.
“This is not a debate. This is an expedition. Tynaer will go, as will Devarius. However, I need volunteers and recommendations. We need enough to stay behind to protect Saefron, but we need more than a few on this expedition: trained warriors, in case we run into trouble or the wyverns aren’t friendly.”
The room fell silent.
“No volunteers?” Ellisar asked.
“I am happy to go,” Devarius said.
Ellisar smiled. “I already knew you were going. Besides being one of the few who knows where this island is, I do hope that baby wyvern of yours helps convince the other wyverns we’re not enemies.”
“Unless the mother knows it to be her missing egg and instead wants to kill us all to get her child back,” spat Vikron, a warrior across the table from Devarius.
Ellisar furrowed his brow. “That is possible, I suppose. I did mention that the mission is dangerous.”
The room remained silent.
Ellisar sighed. “The Resistance needs help. We cannot face the dragons man versus beast. We need help, and I believe these wyverns may be that help. We need a full company to travel with Devarius and Tynaer to the island. Warriors are needed, archers, chefs, leatherworkers, blacksmiths, shoemakers, seamstresses, and many more.” Ellisar brushed his hands through his hair. “I don’t imagine this task will be swift. It may take years of training with the wyverns, or it may take less. If we’re successful and begin training with wyverns, I’ll need word back here. But, I’m begging all of you, consider this, consider who you know who would join this mission. We need everyone to help. Tomorrow, they will leave.” Ellisar met every person’s eye. “They will leave at dawn.”
No one spoke as Ellisar rose. “Dismissed.”
Everyone exited except for Devarius and Tynaer.
Devarius stood next to Ellisar. “I don’t plan to let you down.” He bowed.
“Good,” Ellisar said. “But make sure you stay safe.”
“Of course.” Devarius smiled.
Chapter 29
Devarius shifted, uncomfortable on the large ship. During the long journey to Saefron, he’d grown accustomed to being in charge. Now, he had to sit back and take orders. He didn’t like it. It wasn’t the leader—Tynaer was a good captain—but he felt useless.
Devarius had been surprised when the Resistance led a small army to a large ship south of the mountains in the bay. Hundreds of men and women joined them on the ship, but Devarius felt so alone. Aquila and Paedyn were with him, as was Jaonos from his original party, but he still felt uneasy. Even though he no longer led them, he was expected to unite the wyverns and humans into some sort of alliance. He didn’t know how he was supposed to do that. The empire seemed to control the dragons like pet dogs as far as he could tell. He didn’t know if he liked that idea either. Sighing, he propped his feet up on the desk in front of him. The wyvern sat next to his feet, licking its scales. Its head twisted around to look at him. The creature leapt onto his shoes and sat, studying him curiously.
“What do you want?” he asked the creature.
He had tried to leave his private cabin earlier, but Captain Tynaer ordered him back to his room, to “socialize” with the wyvern. He was supposed to learn about the creature, anything that would be helpful for contacting and forming an alliance with the other wyverns.
The wyvern climbed across his leg until it rested in his lap. Even though the creature was cute, like a small lizard, he knew it would grow up to be a terrifying beast. Devarius wondered why the creature was growing attached to him. Could it be as simple as it hatched while in his hands and he was the first person it saw? Devarius knew animals bonded with their parents because they were nearby when they were born, but he thought reptiles were different. Since they were in eggs and didn’t experience a live birth, and the creature didn’t seem to require milk, Devarius imagined it would be self-sufficient. However, it seemed to bond with him. It wasn’t cruel or mean to anyone, but it followed Devarius wherever he went, most of the time perched on his shoulder like a parrot. The creature had hatched a few weeks prior and had grown a few inches in size, but it wasn’t growing at an incredible speed. Devarius wondered how long the creature’s maturation would be. More than that, he wondered why it had hatched when he held the egg. Did he just have bad timing—or good, as far as the Resistance was concerned? Or had it been more than that? He felt a connection with the creature, a bond that he couldn’t explain. It was like a tingling sensation that began the moment the creature was born. A spark of connection, if that even made sense. Somehow, Devarius knew what the creature was feeling: the fear, the hunger, and the curiosity.
Captain Tynaer had complained about the rat population on the ship when they headed out from the bay, but besides the first few days, Devarius hadn’t noticed any rats ... until he saw the little wyvern swallowing one whole.
“Better than a bloody cat.” He laughed.
The creature tilted its head.
Devarius smiled, reaching his hand to stroke along the hard scales behind the wyvern’s head. He remembered catching lizards and snakes as a child, playing with them even, though his mother didn’t care for the habit. He’d always wanted a snake as a pet, but his mother would never allow it. Instead, he had a lizard or two, or as he called them, a snake with legs. They didn’t bother his mother. He remembered petting the creatures, and the smooth, yet rough texture of their scales. The wyvern’s texture was similar, though each scale was larger than the small lizards’.
“What am I supposed to call you anyway?” Devarius asked. “Tynaer insists I give you a name. I don’t think he’d like Rat Eater.”
The wyvern growled.
“Well, apparently you don’t like the name either.” Devarius laughed. “What are you? I never thought to look; though, can you even tell with a wyvern if you’re a male or female?”
The wyvern tilted its head the other way.
Devarius laughed. “Do you have scaly balls?”
The wyvern growled lightly.
Devarius furrowed his brow. “Can you understand me?”
The wyvern nodded its head.
Devarius’s eyes bulged. “You can? Can ... can you understand everyone?”
The creature shook its head.
“Only me?”
It nodded.
“Is it because of this bond we share? I have this feeling inside of me, a spark, some kind of external energy that seemed to connect us when you hatched,” Devarius said, to himself more than the wyvern.
It nodded.
Devarius gulped. “Are you a boy?”
It shook its head.
“You’re a girl?”
She nodded.
“Do you have a name?”
She shook her head.
“Do you want one?” Devarius asked.
She nodded.
Devarius leaned back. He scratched his chin, where black whiskers were starting to poke through. “Rat Eater?”
She shook her head and growled.
He laughed. “Well, you’re beautiful, like a sapphire. Do you like the name Sapphire?”
The wyvern considered him for several long seconds before shaking its head.
“Hmm. Well, this is going to sound silly, but—” Devarius paused, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “My sister. Well, I have two sisters. Had,” he corrected himself. “One was taken away ... she may still be alive somewhere. I don’t know. But my other sister ... she died when she was young. Just a baby, not even a year old. She got sick, and ... and ...” Devarius clenched his eyes shut. “I remember holding her. She was such a small thing, so beautiful. I remember holding her in my arms. I was only ten at the time when she died, but I remember the last time I held her. She was coughing, and my mother did everything she could, but little Ayla didn’t make it.”
The wyvern crawled up Devarius’s stomach to his chest. She leaned close and licked the tear running down Devarius’s cheek.
“I know it’s not original, but I don’t have much for a creative mind. Do you like the name Ayla?”
The wyvern nodded.
“Ayla it is.” He smiled. “I’m Devarius.”
Ayla licked him again.
Devarius laughed. He rubbed his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Ayla. We have a long journey ahead of us, and we need your help.”
Chapter 30
The ocean was calm as a soft breeze swept against Devarius’s face. After a lot of convincing, Captain Tynaer had allowed Devarius and his wyvern, Ayla, up to the deck of the ship. The view of the ocean was much different than his previous experience—the last time being overcast with a tropical storm raging above. It almost seemed peaceful. He looked all around them, and didn’t see land in any direction. Ayla sat on his shoulder, almost the size of a full-sized cat now, and watched the ocean.
Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns (Dragonia Empire Book 1) Page 13